Julia-How+do+we+bridge...?


 * How can we bridge the gap between home and school literacies?**

We cannot bridge the gap between home and school literacies without students who work from the other side of the gap. The gap is, at least partially, a matter of motivation.

A good English teacher is a motivational speaker, a saleswoman and an English expert, all in one. As a teacher, I am willing to do just about anything to reach my students, but I cannot see the point of laboring to build a bridge over the gap if the student isn’t building too, or if the student has no interest in using the bridge. So, how can we bridge the gap? We need to make it clear to our students that it is fully possible to bridge the gap.

I have found, already through my limited use of it, that contrastive analysis is an incredible tool to use with my students (Wheeler and Swords, 2006). This tool shows the possibility of bridging the gap. My students do not believe that their languages or Englishes are valid forms of communication. They have been told so often that Standard English is the only language worth learning, that they have no reason to value their own languages. Contrastive analysis shows my students that their languages are at the same level as Standard English. This makes the bridge possible. You cannot build a bridge both across and upwards. Contrastive analysis shows students that the bridge need only go across. It’s the first step in motivation.

After showing students that bridging the gap is possible, and showing them that they have no excuse, we need to convince our students to pick up their tools and start building. Motivation might be intrinsic, but it is more likely that we will have to make that connection for our students. Standard English is the language of power. Power, in many cases, comes from money. Do our students want money? Successful lives? Comfortable lives? They need a portion of that power. They need to be able to use Standard English to get it.

My classroom will welcome all languages, as long as they help students learn content and to communicate with each other. I think a key element of bridging the gap between home and school literacies is letting home literacy into school. We expect our students to do homework and to bring their school personas home. Why don’t we let them bring their home personas to school? We cannot say we value their home literacies if we do not allow them in class, if they are banished from the realm of academics.

I will motivate my students using authentic discussion. They do not learn in theory; they learn through practice. Authentic discussion about literature and life in Standard English and other languages will hopefully motivate my students.

All languages are tools. These tools can build a bridge. Once the bridge exists, the student can chose where she wants to be. She is no longer limited. Literacies grant freedom. I would like my students to be able to successfully code-switch. Many of them express interest in giving back to their communities. I believe that being literate in multiple Englishes will make that possible.